Baby its cold outside!!!

So, I have been staying in and doing some reading the past few weeks.  Today I am going to try to update you all on my list...

I have completed the whole 50 Shades of Grey series.  I enjoyed the story-line.  I read the series because of the movie being released.  I found myself wondering what Anna was thinking and comparing my relationship with hers!  Why do we keep going back for more?  Because we love them and know they need us!  I did skip over the sex scenes, and not because I am a prude, but because they didn't have much to do with the story after awhile.  

I had lunch with a friend last week. She read the series back when it came out.  We both agreed that we skipped over the sex parts in books 2 & 3!  I felt many probably read the first book because of the hype about the sex scenes. Those who saw around that kept on reading.  I read the series on my iPhone with the Kindle app.  I borrowed the books from my public library! I thought that was pretty cool to borrow library books to read on my iPhone!

I got into the 50 Shades and didn't finish The Fred Factor yet.  I am enjoying this self-help book.  However, because I have not been able to do my massage work I have lost interest in this book.  I do need to finish it up before next week so I can return it to the person I borrowed it from!

I have a stack of books from the library to get through  in the next day or so!  These include the following titles:

100 Days of Real Food by Lisa Leake  I found her blog one day, as I do many blogs, someone recommended it and I hit the search button.  I started this book at the introduction and was hooked!  She grew up eating like I did:  meat, potatoes, Oatmeal Cream Pies...  She decided to get healthier after she had kids and they had some health issues.  Hello, isn't that what we are all doing?!?!  I like her comparisons and how to read the label lessons.  I have made a few of her recipes.  I will have to blog about that another day.  :)  Check out her website too: 100 Days.

The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila  I flipped through this one, as it really is more of a cookbook.  I do not know if she has other books, but I love that she has a recipe for almost everything I buy for convenience.  I am drawn to the cover with the homemade toaster pastries!  I want to try her ketchup recipe and the toaster pastries.  LOL!

Suddenly Frugal by Leah Ingram

10 Day Smoothie Cleanse by Jessy Smith

The Best Homemade Kids Lunches on the Planet by Laura Fuentes

These I am considering self-help/personal growth books.  Would you?  I am learning a lot from them about cleaning up my diet and how to save money. 

For fun I read Swim the Fly by Dan Calame A Young Adult book series about 3 boys on a summer swim team.  It is light reading and funny.  Takes me back to high school days and liking boys and hoping they ask me out!  I really liked that it is the boys story for a change.  I hope that my son will read it to know his body is not the only one going through these changes!  I really liked this book it made me laugh out loud several times!

SO, that is it for now.

Off n Running,
AnnMarie

What to do on the bike for 45 minutes?

So, that's a great question.  It is much harder to read on your bike when it is not a recombant stationary bike, that's for sure.  It is harder to blog here too.  Today I am sacrificing my time to get a post in because I haven't in a few days.

This is a pile of books that I gathered up from my shelves.  Once apon a time, I belonged to a couple of sites for bloggers who read and posted their review on their blog.  Some of these books are from that time.  Some I bought for guidance and wisdom for myself, some were gifts... 

I follow some bloggers that post their list of reading material and it got me thinking about my time on my bike and trying to make the minutes pass faster.  Over the course of this challenge I have used my time to listen to some podcasts, check my mail, blog and read.  

Yesterday, it sank in that Lent starts on Wednesday.  As a Catholic, we observe in three ways: fasting, prayer and alms giving.  I think I am going to focus on getting the sugar out of my diet over lent, I am also going to tackle this pile of books, or at least the POWER OF A PRAYING  MOTHER one.  And this weekend I am going to talk to my children about who we can give to and how.  

I think that is a good plan, don't you.  Of course I will still be figuring out my training plan for all the races ahead this year, too!  

*NOTE:  I wrote this on March 1, 2014.  Editied and posted on March 2, 2014.  

Planning on a yoga class today for my exercise.  I also sat down and scheduled time with my trainer again, I have not worked out with her since maybe Christmas time!?!!?  SO, I booked all of the Mondays in March and what she had available in April, that's a start and gets me to my next race.  I am planning, weather and children illness permitting to attend the Hard Core Class on Tuesday mornings and the 7-week Interval Treadmill class on Thursday mornings at the gym.  Now to get the running legs back and add more yoga classes…  Currently I am committed to a 6am Wednesday yoga session, I would like to add at least 2 more times a week to that schedule.  Fingers crossed that it happens by April!!!  Happy Sunday to you all.

Off n Running,

AnnMarie